ACCELERATED TRANSFORMATION OF LEAF-LITTER THROUGH CELLULOLYTIC BACTERIA AND FUNGI

Efficiency of 16 strains of cellulolytic bacteria and 2 fungi was tested for their litter-degrading activity on herbicide-sprayed weeds. The litter degradation was estimated by measuring solubilized carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium in the samples inoculated with the respective strains. Out of these, the bacterial strains of Cellulomonas spp, Clostridium sp, Polyangium sp, Sporocytophaga sp, and a hitherto unidentified gram-negative coccus, and the fungal strains of Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. and Aspergillussyndowii (Bainier & Sartory) Thom. & Church were found most efficient. The leaf-litter sprayed with the herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D showed faster degradation than the controls. Dalapon and paraquat were found toxic to all the cellulolytic strains isolated from the tea-plantation soils.